Saturday, October 31, 2009

This article needs additional citations for verification.Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper in 2007Background informationBirth name Vincent Damon FurnierBorn February 4, 1948 (age 61)in Detroit, Michigan, United StatesGenres Rock, garage rock, heavy metal, shock rockOccupations Singer-songwriter, actor, DJInstruments Vocals, harmonica, guitarYears active Since 1964Labels Straight, Warner Bros., Atlantic, MCA, Epic, Spitfire, Eagle, New WestWebsite AliceCooper.comAlice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948)[1] is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades. With a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, boa constrictors and baby dolls, Cooper has drawn equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a grandly theatrical and violent brand of heavy metal that was designed to shock.[2]Alice Cooper was originally a band consisting of Furnier on vocals and harmonica, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar, and drummer Neal Smith. The original Alice Cooper band broke into the international music mainstream with the 1971 hit "I'm Eighteen" from the album Love it to Death, which was followed by the even bigger single "School's Out" in 1972. The band reached their commercial peak with the 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies.Furnier's solo career as Alice Cooper, adopting the band's name as his own name, began with the 1975 concept album Welcome to My Nightmare. In 2008 he released Along Came a Spider, his 18th solo album. Expanding from his original Detroit rock roots, over the years Cooper has experimented with many different musical styles, including conceptual rock, art rock, hard rock, new wave, pop rock, soft rock, experimental rock and industrial rock.[3] In recent times he has returned more to his garage rock roots.[4]Alice Cooper is known for his social and witty persona offstage, The Rolling Stone Album Guide going so far as to refer to him as the world's most "beloved heavy metal entertainer".[5] He helped to shape the sound and look of heavy metal, and is seen as being the person who "first introduced horror imagery to rock'n'roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed the genre".[6] Away from music, Cooper is a film actor, a golfing celebrity, a restaurateur and, since 2004, a popular radio DJ with his classic rock show Nights with Alice Cooper.On VH1's "100 Greatest artists of Hard Rock", Cooper was ranked #20.[7].

The Jack-o'-lantern is a pumpkin that represents HalloweenAlso called All Hallows’ EveAll Saints’ EveObserved by See Around the world section belowType Secular, with roots in Christian and Celtic traditionDate October 31Observances Costume parties, trick-or-treating in costumes, bonfires, divinationRelated to Samhain, All Saints’ DayHalloween (also written Hallowe'en, literally "holy evening"), also known as All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve, is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and gets its name from being the evening (e'en) before the Western Christian holy day of All Saints (the Eastern Orthodox celebrate All Saints' Day in June). It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones.[1][2][3]The colours black and orange have become associated with the celebrations, perhaps because of the darkness of night and the colour of fire or of pumpkins, and maybe because of the vivid contrast this presents for merchandising. Another association is with the jack-o'-lantern. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.Contents [hide]1 History1.1 Origin of name2 Symbols3 Trick-or-treating and guising3.1 Costumes3.1.1 Costume sales3.2 UNICEF4 Games and other activities4.1 Haunted attractions4.2 Foods5 Around the world6 Religious perspectives7 See also8 References9 Further reading10 External linksHistory

Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, [it is] more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain or Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)".[4] The name is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".[4] A similar festival was held by the ancient Britons and is known as Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf).

Snap-Apple Night by Daniel Maclise showing a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland, in 1832. The young children on the right bob for apples. A couple in the center play a variant, which involves retrieving an apple hanging from a string. The couples at left play divination games.The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes[5] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[6]The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.[7][8] Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.[9] Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.Another common practise was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.The name 'Halloween' and many of its present-day traditions derive from the Old English era.[10][11][12][13][14]Origin of nameThe term Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is shortened from All Hallows' Even – e'en is a shortening of even, which is the origin of the words "evening" and "eve". This is ultimately derived from the Old English Eallra Hālgena ǣfen.[15] It is now known as "Eve of" All Saints' Day,[citation needed] which is November 1st.In the 800s, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were once celebrated on the same day.Symbols

Hideo Nomo with the Tampa Bay Devil RaysPitcherBorn: August 31, 1968 (age 41)Osaka, JapanBats: Right Throws: RightProfessional debutNPB: 1990 for the Kintetsu BuffaloesMLB: May 2, 1995 for the Los Angeles DodgersLast professional appearanceNPB: 1994 for the Kintetsu BuffaloesMLB: April 18, 2008 for the Kansas City RoyalsstatisticsWin-Loss record 123-109Earned run average 4.24Strikeouts 1,918TeamsKintetsu Buffaloes (1990–1994)Los Angeles Dodgers (1995–1998)New York Mets (1998)Milwaukee Brewers (1999)Detroit Tigers (2000)Boston Red Sox (2001)Los Angeles Dodgers (2002–2004)Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005)Kansas City Royals (2008)Career highlights and awardsAll-Star selection (1995)1995 NL Rookie of the Year1990 Pacific League MVP1990 Pacific League Rookie of the Year1990 Eiji Sawamura AwardThrew two career no-hittersOlympic medal recordMen's BaseballSilver Seoul 1988 Team CompetitionHideo Nomo (野茂 英雄 Nomo Hideo?, born August 31, 1968 in Minato-ku, Osaka) is a Japanese former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1990 to 1994. He then exploited a loophole to free himself from his Japanese contract and became the first Japanese-born Japanese major leaguer to permanently relocate to Major League Baseball in the United States. His successful debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 is often credited with paving the road for the subsequent "wave" of Japanese players entering Major League Baseball.[1]Nomo pitched over the span of 13 seasons in the American major leagues with 8 different teams, before retiring in 2008. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. He twice led the league in strikeouts and also threw two no-hitters (to date the only Japanese pitcher to throw even one).Contents [hide]1 Success in Japan2 Moving to the Major Leagues3 Career in the United States3.1 1995-19973.2 1998-20003.3 2001-20033.4 2004-20084 Accomplishments5 Pop culture references6 See also7 References8 Further reading9 External links[edit]Success in Japan

Nomo was on the silver medal winning Japanese baseball team at the 1988 Olympics, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes drafted him in 1989. Nomo debuted with them in 1990 and was an immediate success, going 18–8 but more impressively striking out 287 hitters in just 235 innings. The strikeout numbers are attributed to his unorthodox wind-up, where he turns his back to the hitter, raises his pivot leg, and freezes for a second before throwing. The windup gave him the nickname "Tornado". In his first four seasons, Nomo was as consistent, and consistently good, as any pitcher in Japanese baseball, winning 17 or 18 games each year. His fifth season in 1994 was marred by a shoulder injury and only netted him eight wins. Nomo was famous for his forkball which was unpredictable for hitters and catchers alike.[edit]Moving to the Major Leagues

Nomo had become one of the most popular baseball players in Japan but after the 1994 season, Nomo got into a contract dispute with team management. The Buffaloes rebuffed Nomo's demands to have a contract agent and multi-year contract. Instead of working things out with the Buffaloes, Nomo and his agent, Don Nomura, "exploited a loophole in the agreement between Japanese baseball and the major leagues: if a player retired, he was free to play for whomever he wished." This led to him heading to the U.S., where in February 1995, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him.Nomo made his U.S. pro baseball debut with the Bakersfield Blaze on April 27, 1995, against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Placed on a 90-pitch limit, and throwing mainly fastballs, Nomo pitched 5⅓ innings, taking the 2–1 loss against the Quakes. Despite this loss, and after a month in the minors, necessitated by a season shortened by a player's strike, he became the first Japanese-born Japanese Leaguer since Masanori Murakami in 1965, to appear in a major league game on May 2. He was also the first Japanese-born player to relocate permanently to the American major leagues, as Murakami played only two seasons with the San Francisco Giants and then returned to the Japanese major leagues for the remainder of his career. The pressure on Nomo would be tremendous, and Japanese media and fans appeared in large numbers in games he started. Nomo's games were regularly broadcast live to Japan, despite the fact most people would be waking up when he started games.[edit]Career in the United States

[edit]1995-1997The tornado delivery that baffled batters in Japan had the same effect on major league hitters, and he led the league in strikeouts in 1995 (while finishing second in walks) and was second with a 2.54 ERA. He also started that year's All-Star Game, striking out three of the six batters he faced. But he only barely won NL Rookie of the Year honors that year over future MVP Chipper Jones, as many voters felt that his Japanese success made him anything but a rookie, although he qualified by Major League rules. Nomo had another fine season in 1996 which was capped by a no-hitter thrown on September 17 in the unlikeliest of places, Denver's Coors Field, a park notoriously known as being a hitters' park because of its high elevation, semi-arid climate, and lack of foul territory. Nomo remains the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter at Coors Field. He is also the last Dodger to throw a no-hitter.[2]Nomo also found commercial success in America. Nomo had a signature sneaker, called the Air Max Nomo, produced by Nike in 1996. Also, he appeared on a Segata Sanshiro commercial for the Sega Saturn in 1997.As batters caught on to his delivery, his effectiveness waned a bit in 1997, although he still went 14–12, joining Dwight Gooden as the only other pitcher to strike out at least 200 batters in each of his first three seasons.[edit]1998-2000Nomo pitched poorly in 1998, starting the season 2–7 and was dealt to the New York Mets. He was not much better and got released. In 1999, he signed with the Chicago Cubs and made three starts for their Triple-A minor league team before refusing to make further starts in the minors, and got a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he went 12–8 with a 4.54 ERA. He reached the 1,000 strikeout mark in 1999, the third fastest in major league history. The Brewers waived him after contract issues and the Philadelphia Phillies claimed him, then granted him free agency only 24 hours later after more contract issues. Finally signed by the Detroit Tigers in 2000, he went 8–12 with a 4.74 ERA and was again released.[edit]2001-2003Nomo signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2001 and started the season in spectacular fashion, throwing his second no-hitter in his Sox debut, on April 4th, against the Baltimore Orioles, walking three and striking out 11. This no-hitter was the first in the 10-year history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and made Nomo the first Red Sox to pitch a no-hitter since Dave Morehead in 1965. Nomo also became just the fourth player in baseball history to have thrown a no-hitter in both leagues (joining Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan. Randy Johnson would later join them, becoming the 5th player after throwing a perfect game in 2004). It is the earliest, calendar-wise, that a Major League Baseball no-hitter has been pitched. Nomo also led the league in strikeouts for the first time since his first season in MLB.A free agent after the end of the year, Nomo returned to the Dodgers, in 2002, and ended up having his best season since 1996, finished with a 16–6, 193 K, and 3.39 ERA. The following year, he had another great season, going 16–13 with 177 K and a 3.09 ERA. During September 2003, however, he began showing signs of injury and fatigue.[edit]2004-2008Nomo began to struggle again in 2004. After undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2003, he was benched after going 4–11 with an 8.25 ERA for the Dodgers (the worst ERA in the history of baseball for a player with at least 15 decisions in a season).Before the start of spring training for 2005, he signed a $800,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The contract also included a $700,000 incentive that kicked in if Nomo started 20 games. The stipulation was allegedly included because Devil Rays upper management was unsure if Nomo had fully recovered from his injury. After a poor start in which he posted a 7.24 ERA, he was released on July 25. Coincidentally or not, this was two days before he was slated to make his twentieth major league start. On July 27, Nomo was picked up off waivers by the New York Yankees, who signed him to a minor league contract, but never recalled him. Nomo was signed to a minor league contract by the Chicago White Sox during spring training in 2006 to play for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights of the International League, but the White Sox released him on June 7 of that year.In 2007, Nomo signed on with the Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League, managed by his former catcher, Carlos Hernández. His participation in the Venezuelan league was viewed as a first step toward an eventual Major League comeback. He made his debut on October 20, 2007, against Tiburones de La Guaira. Nomo pitched one inning, allowing one hit and no runs.On January 4, 2008, Nomo signed a minor league contract for 2008 with the Kansas City Royals. If added to the roster Nomo would get a $600,000 one-year contract and have the chance to earn $100,000 in performance bonuses.[3] On April 5, his contract was bought by the Royals and was added to the 25-man roster. On April 10, 2008, Nomo made his first major league appearance since 2005. He faced the New York Yankees in relief. He was brought in to start the seventh inning of a game while the Yankees were leading 4-1. Nomo loaded the bases, but was able to retire his native countryman, Hideki Matsui to strand all three runners. However, he later surrendered back-to-back homers to Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada in the ninth inning. On April 20, Nomo was designated for assignment.[4] The Royals released him on April 29, 2008. On July 17, 2008, Nomo officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.[edit]Accomplishments

Nomo has 123 wins in the Major Leagues and 78 in Japan, winning his 200th overall game on June 15, 2005. Nomo's success helped inspire other stars from Japan such as Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, and Daisuke Matsuzaka to come over to the States as well.In addition, Nomo is one of only five players that have ever pitched at least one no-hitter game in both the National League and American League in Major League Baseball history.During his last year in Japan with the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1994, Nomo was involved in an interesting season opener against the Seibu Lions. After four innings, Nomo had a stunning 11 strikeouts and had allowed no hits. The game remained scoreless after eight innings, but the Buffaloes finally gave Nomo a lead in the top of the ninth. With one out and a man on second, the Lions decided to intentionally walk Ralph Bryant and the next batter, Hiroo Ishii, connected for a three-run homer off starter Kuo Tai-yuan, putting Nomo within three outs of a no hitter. However, the Lions quickly responded in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff double and Nomo proceeded to walk the next batter. Things only became worse when the second baseman committed an error on a potential double play ball. With the bases loaded and no outs, Ito Tsutomu, the only Lions player whom Nomo had not struck out in the game, came to the plate. Nomo was pulled from the game and Akahori Motoyuki was brought in to close out the game. Ito drilled the ball to the left for a walk-off grand slam. The game is considered by some to be the most devastating loss of Nomo's career.[citation needed]He won the 1996 ESPY Award for Breakthrough Athlete.[edit]Pop culture references

Nomo is mentioned in the 1997 film Liar Liar, starring Jim Carrey. Carrey's character's son, wanting to play catch, exclaims, "I'll be Nomo, you can be José Canseco!!"Nomo and his no-hitter with the Red Sox are also mentioned in the movie Fever Pitch during an argument between two characters in the movie, where one proclaims "You get to go to all the good games - Nomo's no hitter!".He is also briefly mentioned in the original Japanese version of an episode of Pokémon.He is quoted by Kurita of the Deimon Devil Bats in the football-themed manga Eyeshield 21. [5]A parody/tribute of Nomo, named "Noro" is introduced in the 55th volume of the baseball manga Major, teaching the main character, Goro, how to pitch a forkball.A parody/tribute of Nomo, named "Suguro" is introduced in episode 108 of the anime adaption of the manga Major, teaching the main character, Shigeno Goro how to pitch a forkball.A song about Nomo: "There's No One Like Nomo" performed by jazz legend Jack Sheldon, written by Academy award winners Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, also produced by Neil Norman was released by GNP Crescendo Records (GNPD 1406) in 1996.

The Meaning of IchiroThe Meaning of Ichiro was published in 2004 and was the 4th book by Robert Whiting on Japanese baseball. He focused on Japanese players who came over to the USA, with quite a bit of information on Masanori Murakami, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideo Nomo and Hideki Irabu and bios of most of the NPB to MLB players of the era. Whiting also continued his earlier focus from You Gotta Have Wa on Americans in Japan, with topics such as Tuffy Rhodes' chase of Sadaharu Oh's single-season home run record or Japan's first American umpire being covered.In paperback, the book was renamed The Samurai Way of Baseball.

The Meaning of IchiroThe Meaning of Ichiro was published in 2004 and was the 4th book by Robert Whiting on Japanese baseball. He focused on Japanese players who came over to the USA, with quite a bit of information on Masanori Murakami, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideo Nomo and Hideki Irabu and bios of most of the NPB to MLB players of the era. Whiting also continued his earlier focus from You Gotta Have Wa on Americans in Japan, with topics such as Tuffy Rhodes' chase of Sadaharu Oh's single-season home run record or Japan's first American umpire being covered.In paperback, the book was renamed The Samurai Way of Baseball.

The cover of the 1985 Bantam edition.The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults,[1] the novel has become a common part of high school and college curricula throughout the English-speaking world[citation needed]; it has also been translated into almost all of the world's major languages.[2] Around 250,000 copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than sixty-five million.[3] The novel's antihero, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage rebellion .[4]The novel was among the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005 as chosen by Time,[5] and named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It has been frequently challenged[6][7][8] in the United States for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and teenage angst.Contents [hide]

Holden shares encounters he has had with students and faculty of Pencey, whom he criticizes as being superficial, or as he would say, "phony". After being expelled from the school for poor grades, Holden packs up and leaves the school in the middle of the night after an altercation with his roommate. He takes a train to New York, but does not want to return to his family' and instead checks into the dilapidated Edmont Hotel. There, he spends an evening dancing with three tourist girls and has a clumsy encounter with a prostitute; he refuses to do anything with her and tells her to leave, although he pays her for her time. She demands more money than was originally agreed upon and when Holden refuses to pay he is slapped by her pimp Maurice.Holden spends a total of three days in the city, characterized largely by drunkenness and loneliness. At one point he ends up at a museum, where he contrasts his life with the statues of Eskimos on display. For as long as he can remember, the statues have been unchanging. It is clear to the reader, if not to Holden, that the teenager is afraid and nervous about the process of change and growing up. These concerns may have stemmed largely from the death of his brother, Allie. Eventually, he sneaks into his parents' apartment while they are away in order to visit his younger sister, Phoebe, who is nearly the only person with whom he seems to be able to communicate. Holden shares a fantasy he has been thinking about (based on a mishearing of Robert Burns' Comin' Through the Rye): he pictures himself as the sole guardian of numerous children running and playing in a huge rye field on the edge of a cliff. His job is to catch the children if they wander close to the brink; to be a "catcher in the rye".After leaving his parents' apartment, Holden then drops by to see his old English teacher, Mr. Antolini, in the middle of the night, and is offered advice on life and a place to sleep. During the speech on life, Mr. Antolini has a number of "highballs," referring to a cocktail served in a highball glass. Holden's comfort is upset when he wakes up in the night to find Mr. Antolini patting his head in a way that he perceives as "flitty". There is much speculation on whether Mr. Antolini was making a sexual advance on Holden, and it is left up to the reader whether this is true. Holden leaves and spends his last afternoon wandering the city. He later wonders if his interpretation of Mr. Antolini's actions was correct.Holden intends to move out west; he relays these plans to his sister, who decides she wants to go with him. He refuses to take her, and when she becomes upset with him, he tells her that he will no longer go. Holden then takes Phoebe to the Central Park Zoo, where he watches with a melancholy joy as she rides a carousel. At the close of the book, Holden decides not to mention much about the present day, finding it inconsequential. He alludes to "getting sick" and living in a mental hospital, and mentions that he'll be attending another school in September. Holden says that he has found himself missing Stradlater and Ackley (his former classmates), and the others—warning the reader that the same thing could happen to them.[edit]Writing style

The Catcher in the Rye is written in 1st person; written as if Holden himself had written it. There is flow in the seemingly disjointed ideas and episodes; for example, as Holden sits in a chair in his dorm, minor events such as picking up a book or looking at a table unfold into discussions about past experiences. Critical reviews agree that the novel accurately reflected the teenage colloquial speech of the time.[9][edit]Interpretations

Author Sarah Graham notes two connections to David Copperfield: David Copperfield is a famous example of a bildungsroman, a genre under which The Catcher in the Rye falls; and the character David Copperfield was born with a big caul.[10]Holden is widely considered to be an unreliable narrator[11][12] because of his unstable perceptions, which allows for multiple interpretations of many events in the novel.[13]Writer Bruce Brooks held that Holden's attitude remains unchanged at story's end, implying no maturation, thus differentiating the novel from young adult fiction.[14] In contrast, writer and academic Louis Menand thought that teachers assign the novel because of the optimistic ending, to teach adolescent readers that "alienation is just a phase."[15] While Brooks maintained that Holden acts his age, Menand claimed that Holden thinks as an adult, given his ability to accurately perceive people and their motives. Others highlight the dilemma of Holden's state in between adolescence and adulthood.[11][16] While Holden views himself to be smarter than and as mature as adults, he is quick to become emotional. "I felt sorry as hell for..." is a phrase he often uses.[11]A recent discovery has shed light on the interpretation of Holden's immaturity. Peter Beidler, in A Reader's Companion to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, is the first to identify the movie that the prostitute Sunny refers to in chapter 13 of The Catcher in the Rye. She says that in the movie a boy falls off a boat. The movie is Captains Courageous, starring Spencer Tracy. The reference is important because Sunny says that Holden looks like the boy who fell off the boat. Beidler shows (see p. 28) a still of the boy, played by child-actor Freddie Bartholomew. That shows that Sunny thinks Holden looks like a little boy, not the tough guy he is trying to be.The death of his younger brother Allie was a catalyst for Holden's fear of change.[citation needed] Phoebe revolving on the carousel can be seen as a symbol for Holden's revelation that change does not always produce negative consequences[citation needed]. Whether this is understood determines the reader's interpretation of Holden's predicament in the final chapter.[17] For instance, the novel has been read as positing only a negative answer to the social problems it criticizes[citation needed], with its philosophy being negatively compared with that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.[18]Each Caulfield child has literary talent: D.B. writes screenplays in Hollywood; Holden passed his English course while failing everything else; Allie wrote poetry; and Phoebe is a diarist. Phoebe is particularly influential on Holden; her name denotes and derives from the Greek Phoibe—the Greek Titaness associated with the moon, suggesting she is oracle and catalyst for the boy who sees himself as the catcher in the rye at a cliff-side rye field where children play tag, whom he catches, and saves from themselves, when they stray too near the edge.[19] This "catcher in the rye" is an analogy for Holden, who admires in kids attributes he struggles to find in adults, like innocence, kindness, spontaneity and generosity. Falling off the cliff could be a progression into the adult world that surrounds him and that he strongly criticizes. Later, Phoebe and Holden exchange roles as the "catcher" and the "fallen"; he gives her his hunting hat, the catcher's symbol, and becomes the fallen as Phoebe becomes the catcher.[20][edit]Reception

The Catcher in the Rye has been listed as one of the best novels of the 20th century. For The New York Times, James Stern wrote a negative review of the book,[21] while Nash K. Burger called it "an unusually brilliant novel".[22] George H.W. Bush called it "a marvelous book," listing it among the books that have inspired him.[23] In June 2009, the BBC's Finlo Rohrer wrote that, 58 years since publication, the book is still regarded "as the defining work on what it is like to be a teenager. Holden is at various times disaffected, disgruntled, alienated, isolated, directionless, and sarcastic."[24]Not all reception was positive, however. The book has had a share of critics. Rohrer writes that "Many of these readers are disappointed that the novel fails to meet the expectations generated by the mystique it is shrouded in. J. D. Salinger has done his part to enhance this mystique. That is to say, he has done nothing."[24] Rohrer assessed the reasons behind both the popularity and criticism of the book, saying that it "captures existential teenage angst" and has a "complex central character" and "accessible conversational style" — while at the same time some readers may dislike the "use of 1940s New York vernacular", "self-obsessed central character" and "too much whining".[24][edit]Controversy

In 1960 a teacher was fired for assigning the novel in class. He was later reinstated.[25] Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States.[26] In 1981, it was both the most censored book and the second most taught book in public schools in the United States.[27] According to the American Library Association, The Catcher in the Rye was the tenth most frequently challenged book from 1990–1999.[6] It was one of the ten most challenged books in 2005, and has been off the list since 2006.[28] The challenges generally begin with vulgar language, citing the novel's use of words like "fuck"[29] and "goddamn",[30] with more general reasons including sexual references,[31] blasphemy, undermining of family values[30] and moral codes,[32] Holden's being a poor role model,[33] encouragement of rebellion,[34] and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying, and promiscuity.[32] Often, the challengers have been unfamiliar with the plot itself.[26] Shelley Keller-Gage, a high school teacher who faced objections after assigning the novel in her class, noted that the challengers "are being just like Holden ... They are trying to be catchers in the rye."[30] A reverse effect has been that this incident caused people to put themselves on the waiting list to borrow the novel, when there were none before.[35]Mark David Chapman's shooting of John Lennon, John Hinckley, Jr.'s assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, Robert John Bardo's shooting of Rebecca Schaeffer and other murders have also been associated with the novel.[36] [37]In 2009, Salinger successfully sued to stop the U.S. publication of a novel that presents Holden Caulfield as an old man.[24][38] The organization QuestionCopyright.org accused Salinger of hypocrisy for being willing to censor another author's work. The novel's author, Fredrick Colting, commented, "call me an ignorant Swede, but the last thing I thought possible in the U.S. was that you banned books".[39] The issue is complicated by the nature of Colting's book, which has been compared to fan fiction.[40] Although commonly not authorized by writers, no legal action is usually taken against fan fiction since it is rarely published commercially and thus involves no profit. Colting, however, has published his book commercially. Unauthorized fan fiction on The Catcher in the Rye has existed on the Internet for years without any legal action taken by Salinger.[40][edit]Impact

Main article: Cultural references to the novel The Catcher in the RyeReferences to The Catcher in the Rye in media and popular culture are numerous. Works inspired by The Catcher in the Rye have been said to form their own genre.[15] Dr. Sarah Graham assessed works influenced by The Catcher in the Rye to include the novels Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and Judith Guest's Ordinary People. Graham also includes the films The Graduate, Dead Poets Society, Tadpole, Igby Goes Down, and Donnie Darko, and music by Green Day and The Offspring.[24] In the decade following its publication, there were more than 70 essays on the novel printed in American and British magazines.[edit]Attempted film adaptations

Early in his career, J. D. Salinger expressed a willingness to have his work adapted for the screen.[41] However, in 1949, a critically panned film version of his short story "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" was released; renamed My Foolish Heart and taking great liberties with Salinger's plot, the film is widely considered to be among the reasons that Salinger has refused to allow any subsequent movie adaptations of his work.[11][42] The enduring popularity of The Catcher in the Rye, however, has resulted in repeated attempts to secure the novel's screen rights.[43]When The Catcher in the Rye was first released, many offers were made to adapt it for the screen; among them was Sam Goldwyn, producer of My Foolish Heart.[42] In a letter written in the early fifties, J. D. Salinger spoke of mounting a play in which he would play the role of Holden Caulfield opposite Margaret O'Brien, and, if he couldn’t play the part himself, to “forget about it." Almost fifty years later, the writer Joyce Maynard definitively concluded, "The only person who might ever have played Holden Caulfield would have been J. D. Salinger."[44]J.D. Salinger told Maynard in the seventies that Jerry Lewis "tried for years to get his hands on the part of Holden,"[44] despite Lewis not having read the novel until he was in his thirties.[35] Celebrities ranging from Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson to Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio have since made efforts to make a film adaptation.[45] In an interview with Premiere magazine, John Cusack commented that his one regret about turning twenty-one was that he had become too old to play Holden Caulfield. Writer-director Billy Wilder recounted his abortive attempts to snare the novel's rights:“ Of course I read The Catcher in the Rye....Wonderful book. I loved it. I pursued it. I wanted to make a picture out of it. And then one day a young man came to the office of Leland Hayward, my agent, in New York, and said, 'Please tell Mr. Leland Hayward to lay off. He’s very, very insensitive.' And he walked out. That was the entire speech. I never saw him. That was J. D. Salinger and that was Catcher in the Rye.[46] ”In 1961, J. D. Salinger denied Elia Kazan permission to direct a stage adaptation of Catcher for Broadway.[47] More recently, Salinger's agents received bids for the Catcher movie rights from Harvey Weinstein and Steven Spielberg,[48] neither of which was even passed on to J. D. Salinger for consideration.In 2003, the BBC television program The Big Read featured The Catcher in the Rye, intercutting discussions of the novel with "a series of short films that featured an actor playing J. D. Salinger's adolescent antihero, Holden Caulfield."[47] The show defended its unlicensed adaptation of the novel by claiming to be a "literary review," and no major charges were filed.According to a speculative article in The Guardian in May 2006, there are rumors that director Terrence Malick has been linked to a possible screen adaptation of the novel.[49][edit]NotesJ. D. SalingerFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJ. D. Salinger

Salinger in 1950.Born Jerome David SalingerJanuary 1, 1919 (age 90)Manhattan, New YorkOccupation NovelistWriting period 1940-1965Notable work(s) The Catcher in the Rye (1951)Seymour: An Introduction (1963)Influences[show]Influenced[show]Signature Jerome David "J. D." Salinger (pronounced /ˈsælɪndʒər/) (born January 1, 1919) is an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. He has not published an original work since 1965 and has not been interviewed since 1980.Raised in Manhattan Salinger began writing short stories while in secondary school, and published several stories in the early 1940s before serving in World War II. In 1948 he published the critically acclaimed story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" in The New Yorker magazine, which became home to much of his subsequent work. In 1951 Salinger released his novel The Catcher in the Rye, an immediate popular success. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield was influential, especially among adolescent readers.[1] The novel remains widely read and controversial,[2] selling around 250,000 copies a year.The success of The Catcher in the Rye led to public attention and scrutiny: Salinger became reclusive, publishing new work less frequently. He followed Catcher with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953), a collection of a novella and a short story, Franny and Zooey (1961), and a collection of two novellas, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). His last published work, a novella entitled "Hapworth 16, 1924," appeared in The New Yorker on June 19, 1965.Afterward, Salinger struggled with unwanted attention, including a legal battle in the 1980s with biographer Ian Hamilton and the release in the late 1990s of memoirs written by two people close to him: Joyce Maynard, an ex-lover; and Margaret Salinger, his daughter. In 1996, a small publisher announced a deal with Salinger to publish "Hapworth 16, 1924" in book form, but amid the ensuing publicity, the release was indefinitely delayed. He made headlines around the globe in June 2009, after filing a lawsuit against another writer for copyright infringement resulting from that writer's use of one of Salinger's characters from Catcher in the Rye.[3]

London, Oct 28 (ANI): Oscar winning actor Michael Douglas decided to stroll on the streets of Havana while on a four-day tour to the country and surprised all when he posed for snapshots with the locals.

Patricia Rodriguez, an architect at the city historian’s office, accompanied the star on his walk through the capital city’s historic district, reports the Daily Express.

Douglas also visited a government tobacco shop, where workers showed him the technique of rolling a Cuban cigar.

(AP) – 1 day agoHAVANA — Michael Douglas staged an impromptu walking tour of the Cuban capital's historic district Tuesday, posing for photos with construction workers and surprised residents.His visit came two days after fellow Oscar-winner Sean Penn arrived in Cuba, reportedly seeking an interview with 82-year-old Fidel Castro, who has been little seen since announcing he was suffering from an unspecified illness in July 2006. He stepped down as Cuba's president in February of the following year and was replaced by his brother Raul.Penn traveled to the Isle of Youth, off mainland Cuba on Monday to meet with local artists. There was no word on whether he got to see Fidel. He interviewed Raul during a visit last year.Little was known about Douglas' plans for his four days in Cuba, but he was accompanied on his walk through Havana's old quarter by Patricia Rodriguez, an official at the city historian's office.Among the sites he toured was a state-run tobacco shop, where employees showed the actor the finer points of rolling a Cuban cigar.It was unclear if either came with a U.S. exemption to Washington's ban on travel to Cuba.

(19:00) President Rafael Correa of Ecuador on 'The International Economy and the Process of the Citizen's Revolution in Ecuador'President Rafael Correa of Ecuador will be speaking at the LSE on "The International Economy and the Process of the Citizen's Revolution in Ecuador".

As the event is being organised in conjunction with the Latin America Programme at IDEAS, we are able to reserve seats for those interested in attending. Should you wish to reserve a seat, please drop ideas.events@lse.ac.uk an e-mail before Monday 12 October. Tickets are limited and will be given on a first come first served basis.